EEBA Program (PDF/3MB) - EEBA - Annual Meeting

VEGF 164ANTIBODIES DELAY CORNEAL VASCULARIZATION AFTER ALKALI BURNJ. Predović¹, I. Dekaris², T. Balog³, S. Sobočanec³, A. Šarić³¹Ophthalmology Clinic, Clinical Hospital Sveti Duh; ²Special Eye Hospital Svjetlost, Department of Ophthalmology,School of Medicine in Rijeka, University of Rijeka; ³Ruđer Bošković Insitute, CroatiaPurpose: The purpose of the study is to determine if subconjunctival monoclonal antibodies toVascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) 164 isoform can prevent corneal vascularisation andopacification after corneal burn in mice. Decreasing corneal opacification could preserve visual acuityand thus avoid corneal grafting. Preventing corneal vascularisation may additionally increase cornealgrafting success rate. Next aim is to define if corneal burn or additional VEGF164 subconjunctivaltreatment affects the expression of VEGF, interleukin 1β (IL-1β) and matrix-metalloproteinase 9proenzyme (proMMP-9) in mice cornea.Methods: Control animals were not treated. Other mice were divided in three groups and underwentcorneal burn with 1N NaOH. Unlike group 1, group 2 and group 3 were treated with anti-VEGF164antibodies sub-conjunctivaly, 1st day after burn and 1st, 3rd and 5th day after burn, respectively.Corneal opacification and vascularisation assessment and VEGF, IL-1β and proMMP-9 were followedduring 3 weeks after burn.Results: Groups 2 and 3 had lower grades of corneal opacification compared to group 1 during firstfive days after corneal burn. Corneal vascularisation appeared 5th day after burn in all groups and wassignificantly lower in groups 2 and 3 compared to group 1; 5th and 11th day in group 2 and from 5thto 21st day after burn in group 3, respectively. IL-1β, proMMP-9 and VEGF concentrations increasedafter burn and were not significantly affected by anti-VEGF164.Conclusions: Using anti-VEGF164 subconjunctivaly in different strategies (single injection 1st day andrepeated injections 1st, 3rd and 5th day after corneal burn in mice) we decreased corneal opacificationand delayed onset of vascularisation.76